Top 5 Benefits of Mindfulness

With the ways of the world becoming more and more hectic, our lives never seem to slow down. From endless ‘to do’ lists and technology that never sleeps, we find ourselves on a constant loop of planning, working and rushing. As efficient as we may feel, unfortunately we tend to leave ourselves at the bottom of that very long ‘to do’ list, rarely remembering, or having the time to rest, reset and recover.

Myth may have you believe that mindfulness and mindful practice is too time consuming, hard work or not really your ‘cup of tea’. In fact, mindfulness is far more adaptable to daily life than you may think and the benefits are significant. From a simple three minute breathing space meditation to eating a mindful meal, mindfulness can fit comfortably into your daily life.

Research has proven that scheduling some ‘me time’ to sit and meditate is an ideal self-care practice but if you are new to mindfulness or a little time poor, some small steps in a mindful direction is a good place to start with long lasting and life changing results.

No matter how little or long your practice, the rewards are valuable. Here we explain some of the Top 5 Benefits of Mindfulness.

1. Reduced Stress

When we are under stress our auto-pilot reactive mode kicks in causing dis-ease in the body and we miss what is happening in the moment. Stress has been proven as a major factor in short and long-term effects on health, and wellbeing.

Mindful practice gives us the space to self regulate our thoughts, emotions and body sensations when we are under stress or faced with situations that cause anxiety. The flow on effect of mindfulness cultivates a responsive mode instead of a reactive one, decreasing our sense of urgency, allowing us to slow down the inner workings of our mind and step out of auto pilot.

The fight, flight and freeze reactive mode is in overdrive when our minds are under severe stress or go into 'red zone'. Mindfulness practice helps slow down the time between the foreseen threat and our response. These days we are unlikely to be chased by a sabre tooth tiger as our ancestors were, however the same stress reaction is just as prominent for many people doing everyday tasks such as going shopping, driving a car or sitting in a meeting. Mindfulness cultivates the inner resource you need to self-regulate during these times of stress and anxiety.

2. Better Health

Better sleep, reduced fatigue, decreased cortisol levels (main stress hormone) in the body and ease of chronic pain and illness are all benefits of regular mindful practice. Along with improved blood pressure, reduced risk of stroke, increased flexibility, balance, coordination and strength, all these positives can make real change to the quality and longevity of your life.

Meditation has been proposed to be a healthy lifestyle factor that affects telomere length. Telomeres are the caps on the ends of DNA strands protecting chromosomes. Research has suggested that you can turn back the clock on the ageing process and potential age related disease by increasing telomere length.

Mindfulness practice has long been recommended as an additional resource for boosting mental health. Anxiety, depression and suicide can affect any of us at any time. Along with professional medical help, mindfulness practice can be a beneficial accompaniment to a mental health care plan.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health issues please see your GP or seek further support through www.blackdoginstitute.org.au www.beyondblue.org.au or contact Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.

3. Stronger Relationships

Mindfulness develops more joy and connection in your relationships. It gives you the necessary skills to handle challenging situations in a calm and compassionate way.

Mindfulness cultivates an attitude of patience which helps build strong relationships with those we love, work with and the situations we face. Having the space to see all angles and show consideration towards others generates more positive flow on benefits including more effective communication.

We are all guilty of being preoccupied with planning, working or rushing when we are spending time with friends or family. Many of us are guilty of taking a simple activity like playing with our kids and multi-tasking by scrolling though social media for a dinner recipe or answering one last email at the same time. Multitasking is great but ‘being in the moment’ and sharing these precious memories with the ones we love is even greater. Cultivating this mindset of being in the moment boosts happiness and joy with the strengthening of valuable connections.

4.Improved Mood

Neuropsychologist and author of 'Hardwiring Happiness', Dr Rick Hanson, explains that practicing mindfulness by 'taking in the good' for at least seven seconds each time has the ability to change your mood. Positive experiences grow new neural circuits in your brain where you not only feel good in the moment but you’re also having long lasting benefits building new neural traits.

Practice such as 'taking in the good' and being in the moment can reduce frustration, anger, help to ease the effects of depression and anxiety and generates an overall sense of wellbeing.

5. Gain Clarity & Focus

Having the space to slow down and engage in mindful practice helps us meet our challenges with focus, embrace our vulnerabilities and discover and cultivate our strengths.

Having a clear mind provides opportunity to determine which thoughts harm and which can help. Clarity and focus provide heightened body awareness. By taking a moment to listen to our bodies we identify changes we can make towards healthier lifestyle choices.

Clarity and focus allows for perspective to be present, where you can experience new ways of seeing old problems. On the work front, having clarity, gaining perspective and staying focused helps us to deliver creative, innovative and well-rounded results especially in times of looming deadlines and stressful workloads.

Mindfulness, no matter the activity, regularity or amount of time we have to practice, there is proven 'Power in the Pause'. From stress reduction, feeling more present with loved ones to alleviating chronic pain, mindfulness can help manage many challenges we face day-to-day.

With an endless variety of mindful practice available, don't be overwhelmed with where to start. There is a mindful activity to suit everybody's time availability and intentions. The benefits of mindfulness are different for everyone and also change each time you take a moment to practice.

As an avid fan of mindfulness, movement and meditation the benefits speak for themselves and in today's hectic world there's no better time than now to start living your best life mindfully.

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